Albus Turnbull
by Jano22
Summary: This story follows Albus Turnbull, my OC whose life gets slowly intertwined with the main cast of RWBY. It begins as separate, but beside the show, and starts right before the show with Albus's acceptance into Beacon Academy.
1. Chapter 1

Hey, thanks for clicking on this story! This is my first fanfiction so it would mean a lot for you to review this story. The idea for this actually from a Dungeons & Dragons game I did for a month, but the DM quit, so I just continued it in my head. I've thought of all of the major plot points up until the end of Volume 4. It will start with Albus, the main character of this story, being separate, but beside the main cast of characters. But with what happens in Volume 3, it's hard not to get involved with the main story. I will be writing this when I get the motivation to do so. I just hope you enjoy this.

Chapter 1

Two men were sitting in what looked like an office. One wall was lined with bookcases, while another had various melee weapons. In the middle of the room was a desk with two chairs in front of it. Behind the desk sat a blond-haired man wearing a tan shirt with a brown vest. Across from him was a silver-haired man wearing a black suit with a green scarf wrapped around his neck.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. It opened and a white haired boy of 16 years walked in. "You wanted to see me Mr. Xiao Long?" the boy inquired. He seemed surprised to see the older man with Tiayang.

Taiyang stood up and addressed the young man. "Yes, come in Albus. I wanted you to meet someone. This man with me is the headmaster of Beacon Academy, Professor Ozpin."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Turnbull, I've heard a lot about you," Ozpin told Albus. "One thing that I've noticed is your exceptional prowess while fighting. Which is why I want you to come to Beacon next term."

"It's nice to meet you too, Headmaster, but I've only been training at Signal for a year. Why would you think I'm ready for Beacon already?" inquired Albus.

"Well, Taiyang tells me that when you arrived at Signal, it looked like you were, to put it nicely, a street beggar. Now, what I want to know is how does someone like that impress the teachers here so quickly that they not only accept you into the school immediately, but also call me to tell me all about this... prodigy?" Ozpin asked with a stern look.

Albus sighed with a sad look in his red eyes. He began, "I learned from my father, Sterling Turnbull. He was a huntsman, graduated from Beacon. We lived in a village south of Vale called Sutton. He was part of the local guard for the surrounding villages. Since before I can remember, he's trained me to fight." he paused. "I used to hate him for it.

"Whenever my father would go out on a mission or patrol, I would go help the local blacksmith, Pierre. That's what I wanted to do. Apprentice under Pierre and one day either take over his shop or start my own. That all changed when my village was attacked by the Grimm, three years ago.

"It seemed like any other day. My father went out on patrol, so I went to Pierre's. Around noon, the siren started. Pierre tossed me a sword and told me we had to help. We fought for about an hour, and there was so many of them. Then, they... got Pierre.

"I just, ran, after that. I remembered where my father said he was patrolling, so I went there looking for him. And I found him, dead, clutching his weapon, a bow blade. I went to grab it when I heard a growl behind me. A beowulf had followed and lunged at me. I thought I was dead, until I looked down and saw the beowulf's claws through my chest, but I didn't feel a thing. That's when I learned what my semblance was. I can go into this sort of, other dimension I call Limbo. When I activate it, I can still see everything in the real world, but I can't interact with anything, and vice versa. Kinda like a mirror. So, after the beowulf tried to stab me, I jumped toward the bow blade, came out of Limbo, and killed the beowulf with it.

"After that, I survived on my own for two years in the wilderness. I wandered, killing Grimm, and living off the land. Eventually, I made my way to Vale. I was sick of drifting around and came to Signal. The rest, you know." Albus finished.

Ozpin leaned and put his hand on Albus's shoulder. "Albus, I am so sorry for what you have gone through. No one should have to endure that, especially one so young."

"That's why you almost never get hit?" Taiyang interrupted. "I always wondered what your semblance was, and now that I know, wow."

"So Albus, I take it since you came to Signal that you no longer want to become a blacksmith anymore, is that correct?" asked Ozpin.

Albus scoffed, "No, headmaster, I don't. If I've learned anything out there, it's that you have to fight to survive in this world. And I intend to fight."

"Well then, I will see you at the start of the next term, Mr. Turnbull." Ozpin stood up, "It was good to catch up Taiyang." And with that, Ozpin left the room.

"Well, I hope you have a good time at Beacon, Albus." Taiyang congratulated the young man. "I just have one more question for you. While you were telling your story, you didn't mention your mother. Who is she?"

"I never knew my mother," responded Albus. "And my father never talked about her." Albus then walked out.


	2. Chapter 2

Albus FF - Chapter 2

It was a beautiful day in Vale. The birds were singing, the sun was shining. Albus was strolling through Vale, walking towards the docks to board an airship to Beacon. Man, I can't believe I'm going to Beacon so soon. I thought it would take a few more years, thought Albus.

He had his bow blade across his back, ready to take on this new challenge. As Albus got to the docks, he noticed more weapon-wielding young adults arriving as well, some he remembered from Signal. He checked his scroll, noting that he only had fifteen minutes until the airship departed. He quickened his pace in order to find a good spot to sit down and enjoy the ride. He found a seat next to a sleeping, orange haired man with no shirt on. Seemed like a good place to relax, Albus thought.

He sat there, watching the other students walk in and looking at their weapons. Swords, axes, rifles, pistols, spears, clubs; many of them stood out to him. He still loved to look at them and try to figure out how they were made. Old habits seem to die hard.

As the airship took off, Albus looked out the window, watching Vale go by. Suddenly, a blond woman wearing a white and black outfit with a purple cape appeared in front of all the viewing windows on the ship.

She began, "Hello and welcome to Beacon. My name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy. Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future huntsmen and huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world." She then disappeared.

The guy beside Albus had woken up when Glynda had begun her announcement. After she disappeared, he turned to Albus and said, "Man, if I get to wake up to that hot lady every day, I'm gonna like it here," as he smiled.

Albus turned to the shirtless teen, "That was Glynda Goodwitch," he began. "She's one of the professors at Beacon. I don't think she's gonna wake you up again, unless you fall asleep in her class."

The orange haired teen lightly laughed, "That probably won't be so pleasant." He extended his arm toward Albus, "Name's Russ."

Albus shook his hand, "Albus. Hey, you're obviously going to Beacon, so where's your weapon? I don't see any laying by you."

Russ widened his smile a bit. "Oh, don't worry about my weapons. I don't 'carry' them, per say." Albus looked confused. "You'll see." Russ stated.

Right after Russ had finished his statement, a blond boy ran up and puked into a trash can next to Albus. Russ looked concerned while Albus seemed a little disgusted. "Hey, dude, you alright?" asked Albus.

The armored boy finished and spit into the trash can. He still looked a little green. "This is my first time flying. So far, not a fan." He promptly threw up again.

As he continued puking, the airship stopped as they had arrived at Beacon. Albus quickly got up and rushed for the exit, not wanting to smell the throw up anymore. He stepped off the airship, took a deep breath, and started walking to the academy. He heard a loud thumping of boots as someone ran behind him. "Hey, Albus!" Russ shouted as he caught up to him. "Do you know where we're supposed to go?"

Albus slowed down for him. "I would assume the tall building. I was just gonna follow everyone else."

Russ caught up to the white haired boy. "That seems like a good plan. I'll walk with you."

The crowd was making their way to the central building like Albus guessed. The two boys followed them into a large a large auditorium along with the other students. On the stage in the front of the room stood Headmaster Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch. When everyone had found their way in, Ozpin stepped up to the microphone and cleared his throat.

"I'll," he paused, "keep this brief. You have travelled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft, and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you, to take the first step."

Ozpin stepped away allowing Glynda take the stage. "You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."

* * *

The first years were now in the ballroom, most wearing their pajamas. Albus was sitting at a table against the wall, sketching in a notebook some of the various weapons he saw that day. He was putting the finishing touches on a mace when a faunus with wolf ears sat down across from him. "What are you drawing?" The faunus opened up with.

Albus looked up, "This mace a saw a tall redhead carrying. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I'm just going around meeting some new people," he answered. "I'm Carmine, by the way."

"My name's Albus. So what's your reason for meeting everyone, sizing up your competition?" Albus countered.

"No, it's not like that," Carmine responded. "I was just trying to see who I wanted to be on a team with. They say we're gonna get sorted into our teams tomorrow."

Albus continued on his sketch while he talked. "I was just gonna feel it out as I go."

Carmine paused for a bit, "Well, what kind of weapon do you use?"

Albus put down his pencil and flipped to the first page of his notebook and showed it to Carmine. He saw an elegant bow with a lot of curves and intricate designs. "This is my bow blade, Brightshot."

"Cool, I have a bow too!" exclaimed Carmine. "Mine can transform into two swords as well. Where did you get yours, it looks really cool."

"It was my father's. So, your bow transforms?" Albus said, quickly changing the subject. He flipped a couple pages to another bow. "Is this it?" On the page he presented was a straight edged bow with what looked like handles on each end.

Carmine looked closely at the drawing, "Yeah, looks like it. So, you like to draw weapons?"

Albus relaxed a bit, saying, "Yep, I used to work with a blacksmith, mainly helping repair weapons and tools. I always used to draw the weapons that came in, trying to figure out how they worked."

"So, did you go to a combat school before coming to Beacon?" inquired Carmine.

"Yeah, I went to Signal for a year before this. What about you?" asked Albus

Carmine leaned back in his chair, saying, "I went to Sanctum and decided to come to Beacon instead of Haven. I wanted to see more of the world, you know? You only went to Signal for a year? Did you get moved up?"

"Yeah, at the end of my first year, Ozpin came to talk to me and asked me to come to Beacon this year." Albus said.

"Wow, really?" Carmine blurted out. "What did you do before Signal, besides working for that blacksmith?"

"I'd rather not talk about it," Albus curtly said. At this point, the lights started going out in the ballroom. "Well, it looks like it's time to sleep. Maybe I'll see you tomorrow, Carmine."

"Good luck!" finished Carmine.

* * *

The next morning, Albus was in the locker room inspecting his bow and arrows. He unloaded his quiver, checked the sharpness of each arrow, then loaded them back into the quiver. As he was finishing up, Carmine walked over holding his bow. He looked into the open locker seeing Brightshot. "So, this is your bow? Looks just as good as your drawing."

"Thanks," Albus said as he reloaded his last arrow. "Have you heard what this initiation is?"

"No idea." The red haired faunus said. "Well, I was wondering. Do you wanna be on a team together?"

"No offence, but as I said last night, I'm gonna let my cards fall as they may," explained Albus.

"C'mon!" began Carmine. "I was one of the best archers in my class at Sanctum. We could be a good te-"

Glynda's voice was then heard over the intercom in the locker room. "Would all first year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation. Again, all first year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately."

"I guess that's our queue," stated Albus.

* * *

As the two boys came to Beacon Cliff, they noticed several stone squares close to the edge. Some students were already standing on some. "Pick a square and stay on it, students." Ordered Professor Goodwitch.

Carmine choose a square to the left of a white haired girl in a white dress, while Albus chose the one next to the faunus. Albus suddenly felt a slap on his back. "Hey, Albus!" exclaimed Russ, still not carrying a weapon. He stepped onto the square next to Albus. "Do you know what we're gonna be doing today?"

Glynda again interrupted, "All of you, be quiet and listen." Everyone immediately stopped their conversations and waited.

Ozpin began, "For years, you have trained to become warriors. And today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

Glynda continued, "Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates, today."

Ozpin further elaborated, "These teammates will with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well. That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years. After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path," he paused, "or you will die. You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one, and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"

A boy to Albus's right spoke up, "Yeah, um, sir-"

"Good!" interrupted Ozpin, "Now, take your positions."

With that, the students started getting launched off the cliff from their stone platforms.


	3. Chapter 3

Albus FF - Chapter 3

Author's Note

Thank you for reading this. I can't believe how many people have read and followed this story. It really motivates me to keep writing this. This chapter came out a little later then I wanted because after I got done with Chapter 2, I decided to actually write down my plan for this story until the end of Volume 4, which as of now will be 14 chapters in all. I spent a while deciding how to split up Volume 3 and thinking of some details I needed for characters coming up. And just to clarify, only one person will be speaking in each paragraph.

And incase it's not obvious, RWBY is owned by Roosterteeth.

* * *

Albus was flying through the air at breakneck speeds. He looked around and saw the other students flying and yelling around him. He pulled out Brightshot, scanning the trees, looking for the right one. He spotted one suitable for what he had planned, and readied his bow. Albus hooked one end of his bow on a branch and swung from tree to tree trying to slow down his momentum. He got to the last branch he could use, spun around, and stuck Brightshot in the ground, grinding to a halt. Albus stood up from a crouch, wiped the dirt from the bow, and started walking north.

After a couple minutes of walking, Albus heard a growl to his left. He stopped and readied an arrow. Five beowolfs came out of the bushes around him, surrounding Albus. He quickly fired an arrow into the beowolf in front of him and lunged to his left with his bow. He pierced a beowulf, killing it. He pulled away from it and slipped into Limbo. Just as he did, a beowolf behind him lashed out at him. Albus jumped back through the beowolf, came out of Limbo, and readied another arrow.

Just then, Albus heard a war cry come from his right and saw Russ jump through the air and slam into the beowolf that tried to hit Albus. Albus fired another arrow into the first beowolf, causing it to fall. Russ pounded on his beowolf a couple times, then snapped its neck. It was now two huntsmen-in-training against two beowolfs. One jumped at Russ. Albus rolled over and blocked the strike, shoved the beowolf away, and cut it's head off. The last beowolf was getting ready to jump toward Albus when he heard Russ yell, "Get down!" Albus did, then heard a high-caliber sniper round pierce the Grimm's head, killing it instantly.

Albus got up and looked at Russ. He was holding a very impressive looking blue sniper rifle. "What?" he asked. Russ then lightly tossed the gun in the air, and it disappeared. "What?!" yelled Albus.

"Oh yeah," Russ explained. "Remember when I said I don't 'carry' my weapons? Well, I have my weapons in a sort of pocket that's linked to me. I can pull them out and put them back in whenever I want."

"Ok," Albus said, scratching his head. "Wait, you said weapons? As in more than one?"

"Yes! But I only have a spear along with my sniper rifle." Russ belowed. "That's my semblance. Speaking of which, how did you manage to dodge that Grimm I tackled? It looked like it had you."

"That would be my semblance." Albus walked up to Russ, went into Limbo, put his right hand into Russ's chest, and pulled it out. "I can go into another dimension," Albus said, coming out of Limbo. "Think of it like a mirror."

"Cool! I think we should go find that temple now," suggested Russ.

They walked for another minute when the trees parted and a few dozen yards away was a partly destroyed temple. It had several pedestals around the inside of what was left of the structure. On top of the pedestals were gold and black chess pieces.

"I guess this is the temple Ozpin mentioned. Which 'relic' should we take?" asked Albus.

Russ walked into the temple, looked at the chess pieces, and grabbed one of the black knight pieces. "Why not this knight?" he said as he tossed it to Albus. He put it in a pocket on his quiver.

Just then, two people came out of the forest. Albus recognized one as Carmine, but didn't know the blue haired girl with the longsword beside him. Carmine waved to him as they came out. "Hey Albus!" Carmine shouted. "Who's that with you?"

Albus gestured to Russ, "This is Russ, Russ this is Carmine. And who's this?"

The tall girl stepped up, "Call me Laz. So, these are the relics we're supposed to get?" Albus nodded.

Carmine walked into the temple, gazing at the relics. "Which one did you take?" he tried to slyly ask.

"If you must know, the black knight piece," explained Albus. Carmine then promptly grabbed the other one. As Carmine was walking out of the temple, they heard a high pitched screech in the distance. Albus flexed his shoulders. "We need to get out of here. That was a Nevermore shriek." Albus started staring at the cliff, looking for a way up.

"What about the other students?" Laz asserted. "If we all team up, we can take it down."

"He's right Laz," said Carmine. "Our job is to get the relics and get out. Let's live to fight another day."

"The cliffside to the north of the ruins looks good enough to climb. Let's get going." Albus stated

The group of four made their way north from the temple with their relics in tow. When they got to the cliff face, Albus took some rope out of his quiver and started tying it to the end of an arrow. But before he could ready the arrow to fire, a King Taijitu struck forward with its white head. It threw Albus against the cliff, his red aura shimmering around him. "No!" Russ cried. A spear materialized in his hands and he leapt forward. The black head of the snake came around trying to intercept Russ until Laz deflected it with her sword.

Carmine rushed to Albus to see if he was ok. Albus sat up against the cliff and yelled, "What are you doing? I'm fine! Go help them!" Carmine nodded and transformed his bow into two swords. He charged in and slashed his swords against the middle of the snake. The Taijitu screeched, coiled its heads to try to squeeze him. Russ saw this, and threw his spear at the side of the snake, causing it to reel back. Carmine saw this and jumped away.

Carmine backed up, trying to think of a plan. He turned to Albus, "Albus, can you get that arrow to the top of the cliff?"

Albus pulled himself up and readied his bow. "I'll try." He shot the arrow and watched it sail past the top of the cliff.

Carmine then turned to Laz, "Laz, get as high up as you can and launch down on one of the heads." She nodded and started climbing the rope. Carmine continued, "Ok, now we need to distract it long enough for her to hit it."

Albus turned toward the snake and fired an arrow at it. It turned and went to bite Albus. He went into Limbo and started walking towards the snake. The King Taijitu went right through the boy, then turned back and looked at him. At that moment, Laz came flying down at great speeds, killing that head of the snake with her sword.

During that time, Russ had pulled his spear out of the snake and went for the other head. Albus started running for it as well. While it was still stunned from Laz's hit, Russ and Albus each pierced one of the eyes on the second head. When Albus saw the Grimm dissolving, he went to a knee, clutching his side. Russ put Albus's arm over his shoulder and helped him up. "Can you make it up the cliff?" he asked Albus.

"I'll be fine," Albus tried to assure them. "We just need to get back to the school. I've had worse."

The four of them started climbing up the rope, with Albus going last, tying the rope around him. Carmine looked to his right, where he saw four girls fighting the Nevermore they heard earlier. "Woah, look to the right. They're fighting that Nevermore!" As the four looked over, they saw a girl in a red hood fly towards the Grimm. She dragged the giant bird up the cliff by its throat. When she got to the top, she decapitated the Grimm.

* * *

All of the students of Beacon were in the auditorium again as the first year teams were announced. Ozpin was in the center of the stage with the mic in front of him as Carmine, Russ, Albus, and Laz were making their way onto the stage. "Carmine Dartmouth, Russ Mauveine, Albus Turnbull, Lazuli Alexander," Ozpin listed them. "The four of you retrieved the black knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team Coral, led by Carmine Dartmouth."

As he said this, four pictures of the teens appeared on the big screen behind him, lined up in the order their names were stated. Under their pictures were the letters C, R, A, and L. They got off the stage as four boys replaced them. "That was a heck of an initiation!" exclaimed Russ. "You gonna be okay?" he asked Albus

The boy in question smirked, "Really, Russ, I'll be fine. I just need some rest." He paused, "I hope the rest of this school is as challenging as this was."

* * *

Team Coral was sitting in the back of Professor Port's classroom on the first day of classes. Albus had his head in his hands listening to the mouchetashed man drone on about some ridiculous story. Albus groaned, "I thought this class was gonna be on how to fight Grimm," he whispered to Carmine, "not stories about how this guy used to fight them."

"Just grin and bare it, Albus," Carmine answered back. "I had a teacher at Sanctum that liked to tell stories too. You just have to pay attention to the end to learn the point."

He groaned again, "I'd rather be in combat practice."


	4. Chapter 4

Albus FF - Chapter 4

This chapter was hard to write, mainly because of all of the exposition. Next chapter will cover basically all of Volume 2, because only three things happen and one of them is very Team RWBY oriented. If you think my writing has been weak, just wait til I get to Volume 3. I'm really excited to get to the Vytal Tournament and all of the things that go with it.

And again, thanks for reading this far. This is my stupid fantasy in RWBY, and I just thought one day, "Hey, why not share this story and maybe make another person a little happier or something." I do have another idea for a fan fiction in RWBY, but I would be taking some liberties with the settings and characters. We'll see.

* * *

Albus was sitting in Dr. Oobleck's history class staring at the clock. He scribbled notes in the notebook in front of him occasionally, but his eyes were glued to the time.

'Only five more minutes to go,' he thought. 'Then to the range.' The white haired boy was tired of sitting in class after class listening to his professors rattle on. The only two he actually liked were Glynda's combat and Peach's dust classes. There, he could actually fight or learn how to use dust, respectively. In Port's class he would just sleep. Albus used to sleep in Oobleck's history lectures as well, but after the first extra essay he was given, he paid attention as best he could.

Oobleck finally let them go and Albus headed straight for the locker room to get a few hours in practicing with his bow. As he was closing his locker, Russ came up to Albus. "Cmon, Albus. Carmine and Laz want to go to Vale tonight to celebrate the long weekend." Russ pleaded with him. Albus ignored him and threw his quiver on his back. Russ grew frustrated, "You need to stop with the late nights and constant training."

Albus turned to Russ, "This is how I've been going for the last three years. Even at Signal I would sneak out and train late into the night. These classes are mostly a waste of time! Port and Oobleck just run their mouths. At least in Glynda's class I can watch other people fight when I'm not fighting."

"And what good has your constant training been? From what I've been able to piece together when you actually talk to the rest of us, you've been alone for a long time." Russ started. "You can't do everything by yourself! What about that King Taijitu? Without us there, it would have killed you!"

"If you weren't there, I would have ran!" responded Albus.

"You can't just run from everything!" shouted Russ. "What will happen when you can't run away? What if you get trapped, or hurt? What will you do then?"

Albus paused, "I've always been alone. I grew up in a village, and when my father wasn't away on patrol or a mission, he was drilling me on how to fight. Until the Grimm attacked. They killed everyone I cared about." Albus continued after a moment. "I'm determined to be better. To be stronger then them. Then my father."

"And you can't do that alone." Both boys were surprised when Professor Ozpin walked around the corner. "Would you come with me, Albus."

Albus followed the headmaster to the courtyard. He stopped in front of the grand statue in the center. "Do you know why the huntsmen academies were founded, Albus?" Ozpin questioned the boy.

"To train huntsmen and huntresses to protect the world," answered Albus.

"That is true, Mr. Turnbull," Ozpin responded. "But you're missing one word. The huntsmen academies were founded to train huntsmen to protect the world, together. You can become the best huntsmen in the world, but there will always be a large enough horde of Grimm that can take you down. How do you think the four kingdoms came to be? Hundreds of people banding together to make something greater than themselves."

Ozpin turned to Albus, "I know this might all seem like a waste of time, but trust me, every part of your curriculum is there for a reason. You can't be perfect in every area of study. And when you realize you lack in one area, you have your team to help you up." The headmaster rested an arm on Albus's shoulder. "We will train you to be the best you can be, you just have to give us your best. Now go have fun with your team. You've earned it."

* * *

Team Coral were sitting at a table outside of a coffee shop in Vale. Each one of them had a smile on their face as they drank from their cups. Russ turned to the white haired boy, "So, Albus, what did Ozpin say to get you to come with us?"

The other two turned to him as he stared at his coffee, "He told me why we are put into our teams, instead of being kept separate. Only together can we become better than ourselves." He looked up at his teammates. "I'm sorry I've been such an idiot this last month."

Carmine spoke up, "No need to be sorry man. As long as we're in this together now, that's all that matters."

"So the dance is coming up next month," Laz spoke up. "You guys planning on asking anyone?"

"Haven't really thought of it," Albus said smiling.

Russ leaned forward, "I was thinking of asking that blond brawler."

"Well good luck with that," Carmine said chuckling.

* * *

Albus and Carmine were in the library a week later, each scribbling notes from a book. "Why does Oobleck think we need to write such a long essay each week?" Albus said, taking a break.

"You're still working on that Faunus Rights Revolution essay?" Carmine questioned him. "You can say how it led to the rise of the White Fang, or how Menagerie was an ill-planned solution."

"Well, what are you working on?" Albus turned to Carmine.

The faunus began, "As team leader, I need to come up with team strategies. With the Vytal Festival Tournament coming up, Professor Goodwitch wants all of the team leaders to list each of their members strengths and weaknesses, along with possible team attacks."

"What did you write about me?" Albus asked him.

"Umm," Carmine paused. "I said that you're a very capable fighter and that you don't give up."

Albus looked at him, "And?"

He continued, "I put that you weren't very team oriented. But, I also wrote that you were working on it!" Carmine blurted out as Albus stared at him.

"I need a break from this," Albus said, leaning back. "Hey, how about I help you come up with team strategies, then you can help me with my essay?"

"Deal!" agreed Carmine.


	5. Chapter 5

Albus FF - Chapter 5

This is the biggest chapter so that that I've written, mainly because I decided to cover so much. As stated before, this chapter will be over all of what happens to Team Coral during Volume 2 of the show. I just wanted to get through it so I could get to Volume 3. I'm excited for the next two chapters because I can finally get to another part of Albus's background that I've been holding back for the right time, which I have dropped a couple hints to in this chapter. I hope that what will be revealed won't make anyone back away from the story, since I think I handle it in a pretty good way, in my opinion.

* * *

Team Coral was just walking into the locker room to put away their weapons after some team training. All of them were covered in sweat. When they got to their lockers, Carmine spoke up, "Good session guys! Now that we have our team attacks down, we just need to perfect them."

"I don't think we should have any problem qualifying for the tournament," stated Russ. "And we just have one more week of classes until the dance."

"And then a mission with an actual huntsmen," Albus said excited. "I can't wait."

"So, Russ," Laz smirked. "How did asking out Yang go?"

"Yeah, she said no," he began. "She told me she had to greet everyone who came so she was going alone."

Carmine slapped his shoulder, "Tough luck, man. But there is still some students coming in from the other kingdoms. Maybe you could ask one of them?"

"Yeah, I guess," Russ replied. "What about you guys?"

"I'm going with a girl from Vacuo named Basali," Carmine boasted.

"I was just gonna go to hang out," Albus shrugged.

Laz looked down, hiding her face behind her hair, "Nobody asked me so, I don't know."

"There's still a week left," Carmine reassured her. "Plenty of time for someone to ask you."

* * *

The first year students were sitting in Professor Peach's classroom. On the blackboard was the word, 'Gravity' and in the center was a dark purple dust powder. Laz had her full attention on what the professor was saying. "This is gravity Dust," the professor explained. "It is one of the more uncommon types of Dust used today. Depending on how much you use, being in a certain radius of the center of the explosion will make you weightless for a short time."

Carmine lightly elbowed Laz, "We need to get some of that." Laz immediately shushed him.

Professor Peach continued, eyeing the wolf faunus, "The most common use of this variety of Dust is in bullets, which tend to pack a much bigger punch, force-wise, than any other form. Now, if you turn to page-"

* * *

"Laz, we need to get some of that gravity Dust," Carmine said as they walked out of class. "Tonight, we'll hit up all of the Dust shops that are still open and get you some. Just think of what you could do with it!"

"C'mon," she said embarrassingly. "It's not a big deal guys. We don't even know if it will do anything with my semblance."

"We could get some anyway," interjected Albus. "How freaked out would someone be if they just started floating? It would be great in the tournament."

"Then it's decided," stated Carmine. "We'll go after our next class."

* * *

Glynda Goodwitch was in the center of Beacon's indoor combat arena. She had a tablet in her arm as she started the class. "Now students, I know this is your last class before the dance this weekend, but I do not want any of you thinking you don't have to do anything this period." She looked at Albus. "Mr. Turnbull, I assume you'll want to start us off as you always do. Do you have an opponent in mind?"

"No, ma'am." He said, standing up.

"Well then, we'll see who gets the privilege to fight you today." She tapped on her tablet, causing the big screen behind her to scroll through the names of everyone in the class. When it stopped, Weiss's portrait came up. "Ms. Schnee, would you please come down."

"Do you have to do this every class?" Weiss asked Albus as she entered the ring.

"I don't see why not," he replied.

"Begin," Glynda said, backing up.

Weiss lunged with Myrtenaster. Albus parried it away and kicked her back. He smirked at her while she spun her rapier's Dust chamber. A glyph appeared in front of her, causing an ice crystal to appear and fly at Albus. He barely managed to dodge it and readied an arrow. He quickly fired it and ran after it in an arc to the left.

Weiss dodged the arrow, but couldn't react in time to Albus's follow through. Albus held Brightshot, readying for Weiss's next attack. She pointed Myrtenaster at him, making six glyphs appear around him. She jumped to one, then bounced off Albus going to another. She hit him three times before he went into Limbo. He jumped back, coming out of Limbo. He started walking at her when she summoned a glyph behind her and used it to jump at Albus.

They traded blow after blow, both their auras falling with each hit. This went on for another minute when a buzzer went off and Glynda walked up, "And that concludes the match. Weiss Schnee is the winner." On the big screen, Weiss was shown to have 19 percent aura while Albus had 14. "Maybe next time, you shouldn't hesitate to press your attack, Mr. Turnbull." the professor reprimanded him. "Does anyone else want to challenge someone?"

* * *

The door to Team Coral's room burst open as they returned from their outing to Vale. Carmine was holding two arrows with dark purple heads. "Man, I can't believe we only had enough money to get Dust for two arrows." their leader griped. "We'll have to be careful with how we use these."

"Let's just save them for the tournament," suggested Russ. "You and Albus could each have one."

"Sounds good to me," stated the latter. "Hey, Laz. Can I talk to you in the hall?"

She nodded and followed him out of the room. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Albus put his arm behind his head. "Has anyone asked you to the dance yet?"

She looked down a little. "No," she softly spoke.

"Well, why don't we go together?" he asked. "Since we're both going alone, why not?"

She looked up at him. "Thanks," she said to him smiling.

* * *

Albus and Laz were walking arm in arm into the dance hall. Albus was wearing an all black suit with a blue bow tie. He had also styled his hair a bit, slicking it up. Laz had on a green flowing dress and had curled her normally straight blue hair. As they walked into the building, Yang greeted them, "Wow, you two look great."

They walked further into the hall and saw Carmine sitting in between Russ and a brown haired girl. "Hey guys," he said, standing up. "This is Basali. Basali, this is the rest of my team, Albus and Laz."

She raised her hand, "Hello!"

"So, where's your team?" Albus questioned her.

"Oh, I'm only here because Carmine asked me," Basali stated. "They weren't really interested in this."

Laz sat down next to her, "Who is on your team?"

"I'm the leader of team Burgundy," she said. "My partner is Gaia and the other two are brothers named Ray and Nadir. We're here for the tournament."

"Well, good luck to you guys." As Albus said that, the music changed to a new song. The white haired boy turned to Laz. "Shall we dance?" She nodded and stood up.

As Carmine was watching the two depart, he saw Yang dancing with Blake Belladonna. Yang then left her to allow a monkey faunus step in. "Russ, you should go ask Yang to dance," he said. "Quick!"

Russ shot up and made his way to Yang. Both of them then went to the dance floor for the duration of the current song. Team Coral had a great time for the rest of the night, especially when Jaune Arc showed up wearing a dress.

* * *

Team Coral was gathered with all of the other first year teams in the auditorium. Ozpin and Glynda were at center stage like at the start of the year. "Quiet." Glynda tried hushing the crowd, "Quiet please. Professor Ozpin would like to share a few words before we begin."

The headmaster began, "Today we stand together, united. Mistral. Atlas. Vacuo. Vale. The four kingdoms of Remnant. On this day nearly eighty years ago, the largest war in recorded history came to an end. It was a war of ignorance, of greed, and of oppression. A war that was about much more than where borders fell or who traded with whom, but about the very idea of individualism itself.

"We fought for countless reasons," he continued, "one of which being the destruction of all forms of art and self expression, and as you are well aware, that was something many could not stand for. As a result, those who opposed this tyranny began naming their children after one of the core aspects of art itself: color. It was their way to demonstrate that not only would they refuse to tolerate this oppression, but neither would the generations to come. And it was a trend that has held to this very day. We encourage individuality, expressionism, and unity, through diversity. As I have said, today we stand together, united. But this bond cannot exist without effort, which is why today when the rest of the world celebrates peace, huntsmen and huntresses will work to uphold it.

"As first year students, you will be tasked with shadowing a professional huntsmen or huntress on a mission. Some of you may be taken out of the kingdom for several days. Others may work within the walls for the rest of the week. But no matter which path you choose, remember to be safe, remember your training, and remember to do your very best." The crowd erupted in applause as Ozpin finished his speech.

Carmine led his team to the list of available missions. He pointed to one listing, "How about this wall repair mission? There's bound to be Grimm and with us being so close to the wall, it shouldn't be too dangerous." The rest of his team agreed with him, so they took it.

Their mission said that they had to leave ASAP, so they headed outside to look for their huntress. When they arrived at their rendezvous point, they noticed Professor Peach waiting for them. "Let's get a move on Coral!" she shouted. "We need to be out to the southwest part of the wall as soon as possible! They are waiting for us!" They quickened their pace to catch up with their professor.

When they had boarded their airship out, Carmine looked to Peach. "So professor, what's our mission exactly?" he asked.

"We are tasked with protecting a construction crew as they make routine maintenance on Vale's southwest wall," she began. "There will most certainly be Grimm, but we will have support from guards on the wall. First, we must scout the area they will be working to make sure it's clear of Grimm, then once we establish the perimeter we will maintain it. Be on alert at all times."

The five of them landed outside of Vale's wall in front of one of the gates leading into the city. As the airship lifted off again, the taller women turned to her students, "Split up however you want to, two and two, and fan out. Yell if you encounter any Grimm." Albus and Russ made their way east while Carmine and Laz went west. After fifteen minutes, both groups made their way back to the gate, not meeting any opposition. Peach pulled out her scroll and a dozen or so people in yellow vests came out of the gate.

She turned to the four huntsmen in training, "I've linked your scrolls to mine and the guards on the wall. The second you see any Grimm, let us know, then dispatch them. Now, begin your patrols."

* * *

After a long day of protecting the construction crew, Team Coral and Professor Peach headed into the city to rest. A few Grimm had shown up. A small pack of beowolves, a few creeps, and a pair of ursa, which were quickly taken down by the combined efforts of the five of them and the guards on the wall.

"Good job today," Peach congratulated the four students. "Now you better get some rest because we will be starting again bright and early." They went into the guard barracks beside the wall to sleep. After they woke up, the team were getting their weapons ready when a siren started going off. They quickly ran to find Professor Peach, who was just putting her scroll away

"What's happening?" Russ frantically asked the huntress.

"I just got done talking to Professor Ozpin, and he told me that there has been a breach in the wall east of here," she told the four of them. "Be assured, he has sent enough people to contain the situation."

"Are you sure we shouldn't go help?" questioned Carmine.

"Our job is not done here," she asserted to their leader. "A few more days, and the wall repair will be done. Our mission is to protect not only the crew, but also the people of Vale. If this doesn't get done, the whole city will be in jeopardy."

* * *

The four members of Team Coral were walking back to Beacon as they departed from their airship. They stopped in the courtyard to sit for a minute. "That was a great first mission," stated Carmine.

"Now all that's left to worry about is the Vytal Tournament," Laz said to the team.

"I can't wait," Albus said as he rubbed his hands together.

* * *

And as a last author's note, I wanted to clarify Team CRAL's semblances just a bit.

Albus can go into a dimension that is alongside our normal one. While in Limbo, he can see everything in the normal dimension, but he can only interact with himself and anything he brings with him. He is still visible in the real world, but anything that would hit him would just go through him. Staying in Limbo is like straining a muscle to Albus, and the longest he's been able to was one minute.

Russ can store weapons in a sub-space pocket at will. He currently has a sniper rifle and a spear linked to him. He can't just put as many weapons he wants in it. He has to be familiar with the weapon and meditate with it for a few hours to be able to store it, so he can't just pull an enemy's weapon away from them and put them away.

Laz can manipulate the gravity holding her to Remnant, either making herself heavier or lighter. When launched during the initiation, she was able to control her descent and landed rather easily. She can't yet control how gravity affects others, though.

Carmine can speed up his reaction time about four times faster than normal. He can't hold it for very long either, only for about a second at a time. After he does this he gets pretty winded, so he only uses it when he needs to.


	6. Chapter 6

Albus FF - Chapter 6

Hey, sorry for the long hiatus since the last chapter. I wasn't feeling the motivation to finish Team Coral's opening round in the Vytal Tournament and work has been busy. I knew how I wanted to fight to end, but getting there was difficult. And with Volume 5 starting today, I was in the RWBY mood, so I ironed it out and finally finished it. I hope that there won't be such a long stretch between updates until I catch up with the series.

And again, thanks for taking the time to read all of this. That's the biggest reason I keep at it.

* * *

Team Coral was in the Amity Coliseum waiting for their first match in the Vytal Festival Tournament. Laz was standing with her sword, Albus was leaning against the wall, Russ was stretching, and Carmine was pacing back and forth in the middle of them. Russ finished his stretches and looked to Carmine, "Dude, you gotta calm down. It's not good for you to be this strung up."

"How can I calm down," Carmine said, still pacing, "when we are about to go fight another team in front of all of Remnant. What if we lose? It would be devastating!"

"We'll be fine," Laz assured him. "We've been training so much since our mission with Professor Peach, I don't think we could lose this."

Carmine stopped to look at Laz, "It's not that. You know who we're fighting, right?"

Albus spoke up, "C'mon, Carmine. You need to stop being hung up on that Basali girl. This is a regulated match, not a fight to the death. And think, after we win, you can go comfort your girlfriend."

Carmine looked down, his ears drooping, "But what if we win and she doesn't like me anymore?"

Laz walked up and softly grabbed the faunus's arm, "Carmine, would you stop liking her if they beat us?" He shook his head. "Then she shouldn't either."

Albus was rolling his eyes when a coordinator for the tournament walked into the room, letting them know it was time for their match. They followed her to the entrance of the middle of the stadium. The four Beacon students watched the opposing team walk in across from them as the two announcers began their banter.

"And it looks like we are ready to begin our next match!" announced Dr. Oobleck.

"Yes, it does," exclaimed Professor Port. "This next fight will be between Team BRGN of Vacuo and Team CRAL of Vale!" The crowd cheered as the makeup of the arena was randomly decided. The two dials stopped on the Urban and Cyber configurations.

"Ah, this is the first time we have seen the coliseum choose the Cyber biome! " Oobleck explained. "As you can see, half the the arena is made up of glittering platforms at varying heights, while the other half is a rundown collection of buildings. Let's see how our contestants use these constructions in this cunning combat that is to come to pass!"

"And now, with our teams ready, let's begin!" Port shouted. Carmine looked to Albus and nodded, who nodded back. Both teams went into their respective starting stances as Port yelled, "3, 2, 1, begin!"

Albus and Carmine started the fight by firing a volley of arrows at Team Burgundy. They got off 6 shots before the two Eclipse brothers sprinted ahead to stop them. Laz blocked one from hitting Carmine as he changed his bow into swords, while Albus blocked the other one himself. Russ charged in, knocking one brother into the other, clearing them from his teammates.

"Russ and Laz! Let's go!" Carmine commanded his team. "Albus! Get up high and cover us!" Russ and Laz followed Carmine as he ran at Basali and Gaia as Albus started jumping up the platforms. The two Vacuo girls backed into the partly demolished neighborhood as they saw the three of them charging.

Carmine, Laz, and Russ split up as they saw Basali and Gaia go in different directions. Russ went into a building he saw Gaia go into. As soon as he stepped into the structure, she hit him back with her staff. Russ pulled out his spear, and readied himself for her next attack. She slammed her staff down, and vines came out of the ground and held him by his legs. He was looking at the vines when Gaia whacked him with her staff again.

She was about to hit him again when Laz smashed into the ground in front of her, sending her tumbling back into the building. She cut the vines holding Russ and they both jumped at Gaia. She blocked Russ's first strike with her staff, but couldn't stop Laz from slamming her with her sword, smashing her through the building. Russ nodded at Laz, and she proceeded to throw him through the hole in the building after her. Gaia had just gotten up when Russ flew through the air and kicked her, knocking her out of bounds.

"And it looks like Team Coral has taken the advantage," Oobleck said as Gaia hit the shield around the arena.

Meanwhile, Carmine was walking in between the buildings when Basali came out from behind and started shooting him. He quickly jumped behind a wall and waited for her to stop. When the bullets stopped flying, he ran out but didn't see her. He walked forward slowly, looking for Basali. He turned around as he heard her run up from his right. The faunus crossed his swords in an X to block Basali's jab with the blades on the end of her pistols.

"Hey," she said as she smiled at Carmine. He smiled back as she kicked him in the stomach. He stumbled back and swung his swords at her. She crouched down and kicked his feet out from under him. She was about the hit him with one of her pistols when an arrow knocked it out of her hand. She looked where the arrow came from, then smirked and turned back to Carmine. She grabbed the faunus and used him as a shield from Albus. The white haired archer was about to fire another arrow when he saw this, so he put it away and brought out a purple one. Basali quickly jumped up, still holding Carmine, and threw him out of bounds. When she landed, the purple arrow Albus brought out hit the ground right in front of her. She was about to laugh when she started floating off the ground. Albus readied three arrows at once, and hit her square in the chest with each of them. She was sent bouncing out of the arena, landing right next to Carmine.

"Basali of Team BRGN had just evened the teams by throwing Carmine out of bounds," Oobleck started, "but immediately after she herself was knocked out by Albus."

Port looked to his partner, "And now it seems to be the Eclipse brothers versus the rest of Team CRAL!"

Right when Albus had fired the three arrows, the blond brother jumped onto his platform and ran at him with his sword ready to strike. Albus knocked his sword away and went for a follow up hit when he was blocked by the last member of Team Burgundy. Ray and Nadir readied their swords while Albus stared them down.

They ran at Albus. When they were almost to striking distance, Ray jumped over Albus to attack from behind. Nadir swung, Albus parried. Ray swung high, Albus crouched low to avoid it. Both brothers went to hit Albus at the same time, so he went into Limbo and jumped to another platform. They locked blades and followed the white haired boy. The three of them started to jump from platform to platform. Albus would land on one, lock blades with Nadir, jump to another one, and lock blades with Ray.

They continued in this vain for another half dozen platforms when Laz flew in to block a swing from Ray that was heading for Albus's back. The four students exchanged blow after blow for another few seconds when a sniper shot hit Nadir's sword, knocking it away. Albus took that opportunity to kick him off the platform, sending him to the arena floor. Albus turned his attention to Ray, who was pressing his attack on Laz.

Ray had Laz on the defensive until Albus came in to help. Much like the white haired boy had realized before, Ray knew fighting against two people by himself would be very difficult, so he employed the same tactic, staying on the move. Ray moved from platform to platform, waiting for the opportunity to strike. As he was getting ready to attack Albus, Russ jumped up behind him and hit him with a wide swing of his spear, sending him to the center of the arena. Laz jumped after him and, using her semblance, landed hard on top of the Vacuo boy.

"With that hit, Ray is knocked out by aura level," Dr. Oobleck stated.

"And Team Coral wins the match!" announced Professor Port

* * *

Most people in Vale who wanted to watch the tournament went to see it in person at the Amity Coliseum. Others gathered in their homes or at restaurants to see the fights on tv. One black haired huntsman had chosen the Crowbar as his place to watch the first matches, seeing as they served alcohol. He looked up from his drink as the screen showed the winner of the last match, Team CRAL. He narrowed his red eyes as he saw them.

* * *

"That was a heck of a fight!" Albus exclaimed as he and his team were making their way to their seats to watch the rest of the fights for the day. "Good job catching that blond guy off guard Russ!"

The aforementioned boy smiled, "Yeah, they didn't expect any of the times I hit them. So Carmine, who are we gonna send to the next round?"

"Well, after I got thrown out of bounds, I was able to watch the rest of the fight," the faunus started. "And I think Albus and Laz would be the best bet. They are able to fight really well together, and that's what we need for the doubles round."

"Woohoo!" Laz yelled with her fist in the air.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm getting pretty hungry," Albus said holding his stomach. "I say we grab a quick bite and get back here to watch some more fights."

"Agreed," Carmine added.

* * *

Team Coral were just getting back to Beacon after Team SNNN defeat Team NDGO when they noticed a big crowd gathering in the courtyard. They walked up to see what was happening and they saw a black haired huntsman having a heated discussion with a female Atlas officer. The white haired woman charged at the huntsman and repeatedly swung at him, while he just dodged. After a few misses, he grabbed the sword on his back, and lightly tapped her sword with his.

They started trading blow after blow at incredible speeds, moving around the courtyard. A lot of damage was being done wherever they clashed. After the Atlas specialist sent the huntsman flying to gain some distance, Albus got a good look at him and froze. Staring into the man's face, Albus felt like he was looking at himself with dark hair and stubble. Albus gazed at the rest of his body and saw that he had a similar build to the huntsman. Albus watched him intently as the fight concluded.

General Ironwood yelled and stopped the Altas specialist from hitting the drunken huntsman. They had a quick argument before Ozpin interrupted, "Now, now everyone. There is a sanctioned fight happening just around the corner at the coliseum that I can assure you has better seats, and popcorn."

Glynda stepped in, "Break it up everyone! We will take care of this mess."

Albus watched as Ruby ran to Qrow, hanging onto his arm. After a quick exchange, he went to follow Ozpin. Albus ran up to Ruby and Weiss, "Ruby, who was that?" he questioned her.

"Oh, that's my uncle Qrow," she said. "Why do you ask?"

"I need to talk to him," Albus said as he turned to catch up to with drunken huntsman.


	7. Chapter 7

Hey, it's been over a year since the last update! Sorry about that, but it's been in my mind recently with Volume 6 coming out soon so I thought I'd pick it back up. I plan on not letting this story stop like that again. Thanks for reading!

* * *

Albus ran after Qrow as he walked into Beacon Tower with Ozpin and Glynda. He had just walked into the base of the tower when he saw the three of them step into an elevator. Albus watched as the doors started closing. Qrow turned and spotted the white haired boy as the elevator shut, taking them up to Ozpin's office.

"Dang it," Albus whispered. "Guess I'll have to wait."

"Hey, Albus!" Carmine called as he, Russ, and Laz came up behind Albus. "Why did you run off like that? We need to go discuss strategies for you and Laz."

Albus turned to his team, "I wanted to talk to that huntsman. I'll catch up with you guys in a bit."

"C'mon, man," Russ started. "You need to prepare for tomorrow."

"Guys!" barked Albus. "I need to talk to him, alone," he paused. "Please, just, go back to our room. I'll meet you there." Carmine and Russ took a half step back at that. Laz peered into Albus's red eyes, hoping for an explanation. He sighed, "This is important and I promise we'll talk about this later. I just have a few questions for him."

The rest of Team CRAL left while Albus waited for Qrow to come down from the top of the tower. After another few minutes, he saw the Atlas specialist march out of the elevators, heading to the courtyard. Eventually, the black haired huntsman showed up, looking at his scroll. Albus jogged up to him and grabbed his arm, "Hey, it's Qrow, right?"

He shook his arm free and scowled at the boy, "I have no time for this, kid. I'm busy."

"You're Ruby's uncle, right? I can take you to her room, as long as you answer a few questions on the way," he said, offering the older man.

Qrow smirked, "Fine, lead the way." He gestured his arm forward as he said it. "What's your name, by the way?" Qrow asked as he followed Albus.

"Albus Turnbull," he answered. "I know this is gonna sound weird, but don't you think we look kinda similar?"

"That name sounds familiar," he said, holding his chin. "And now that you mention it, I do see a resemblance. Wait, you're not looking for your long lost father, are you? Cuz it's not me!"

Albus shook his hands, "No, it's not, exactly that. I know who my father is. It's my mother I don't know."

"So why are pestering me about it?" inquired Qrow.

"I was hoping you might know her," he answered. "Or at least, point me in the right direction." Albus paused, then started in a low voice, "My father never talked about my mother, but after a lot of time and persistence, an older friend told me a few things about her: she was an exceptional fighter, had red eyes, and went by the name Raven."

"What!" Qrow stopped and studied him. After a few seconds, he asked Albus, "How old are you?"

"I'm sixteen," he answered. "So, do you know someone like that?"

Qrow paused for another moment. "Well, your age fits. And yes, I think I do know her. She's my sister, Raven Branwen." Albus's face lit up as he listened to Qrow, but before he could ask a follow up question, Qrow continued. "But I wouldn't get your hopes up. She's not the most, accessible person. Is there anything else this friend of yours told you about her?"

Albus clenched his fists then sighed as they began walking again, "There's not much to tell. My father was Sterling Turnbull. He was a huntsman, defending a village south of Vale. One day, about seventeen years ago, he was on patrol when he found someone fighting a pack of beowolves. He moved in and saw a women taking them down almost effortlessly, until a few Alphas showed up. She took a few hits, but my father stepped in and helped finish them off."

"He insisted on her staying with him until she was healed," he continued, "which she did for a few days. Then ten months later she came back, and left me with my father. He never saw her again."

"I don't want to believe you, but as you pointed out, we do look very alike." Qrow said. "I can't believe she did it again."

"What do you mean, again?" Albus asked him.

"Raven did basically the same thing to Yang and her father just before doing it again with you." he stated. "And if what you say is true, then Yang is your sister."

"I have a sister?" Albus whispered in amazement. "Wait, what about Ruby? If she and Yang are sisters, does that mean-"

"Ruby and Yang share the same father, Taiyang, but no, you aren't technically related to Ruby." Qrow smirked. "But, neither am I, and she still calls me Uncle so, who knows?"

Albus smiled. "Well, speaking of Yang and Ruby, here's their room," he said pointing to a door right in front of him. "I guess I'll leave you to them."

"What!" snapped Qrow. "Don't you think we should let Yang know about her brother?"

Before Albus could answer, Qrow knocked on the door to Team RWBY's dorm and announced he was there. The door opened almost immediately and Ruby jumped out giving Qrow a hug. She let go of him and noticed Albus standing beside them. "Oh hey Albus! Looks like you found my uncle Qrow. What did you need to talk to him about?"

"So we're gonna get right to it then?" interrupted the older man. "Is Yang here?"

"Right here," the blond girl said as she stepped into the door frame. "It's good to see you Uncle Qrow!"

"Let's go inside," Qrow said to the two girls. "We have something to talk about."

"What are you doing here Albus?" Yang asked as Qrow closed the door behind them.

"Well, the thing is," Albus started with one arm behind his head. "It turns out I'm your brother."

"What!" Yang and Ruby said in unison. "How?" Yang demanded.

Qrow stepped up. "He came to me and told me what he knew about his mother, and his description matches my sister, Raven." Yang looked down with a thoughtful expression on her face. "And you have to admit, we do look a lot alike," he added. Ruby and Yang looked back and forth between the two males. The differences between the two weren't much, mainly their height and hair color.

"Look, I know this is a lot to take in," Albus began, "but I really hope you two can accept me. I only had my father for most of my life. He was always distant, except when he would train me. To be a part of a family has always been a dream for me, so hopefully we can talk more about this, maybe after the tournament?"

"Of course we can!" Ruby blurted out. "Right Yang?"

Yang continued to look down and replied, "I guess it can't hurt."

"Great!" Albus exclaimed. "I have to get back to my team now. Good luck in the doubles round!"

"You too!" Ruby hollered as he left.

Albus made his way down the hall into his team's room with his hands in his pockets. Once he opened the doors, his three teammates turned their heads to look at him. "So, what was so important that you had to ditch us?" his team leader inquired.

"I noticed that huntsman looked a lot like me, so I wanted to see if there was a connection," he started. "It seems that his sister is my mother."

"What!" Carmine exclaimed. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I told him what I knew about her and he looked convinced." Albus explained. "And it seems I have more family than I thought."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Laz.

"Well, it turns out that my mother is also Yang's mother," he said with his hand behind his head. "She seemed apprehensive about it, but Ruby was quick to accept me. So, now as I promised you guys, let's talk about this doubles round."

Team CRAL then discussed ways Albus and Laz could fight together in their upcoming fight. It was late into the night when they determined they had done all they could to prepare. Albus decided to go for a walk before going to bed, and Laz went with him. They walked hand in hand along the archways in front of the school. The white haired boy sat down against one of the arches and Laz followed suit, leaning against him.

"So Albus," she began. "Are you doing ok? Finding out about your mother must be-"

"I'm fine," he interrupted. "It's just a lot to think about. Actually knowing who my mother is, it's something I've wanted for so long. I just hope Qrow can tell me more about her." He looked down and saw Laz looking up into his eyes. He smiled and put an arm around her. "But it seems Yang is in the same boat as me, so when we do find her, she'll have quite a handful to deal with."

Laz continued looking up at Albus. He leaned down, bringing his lips to hers, sharing a quick kiss. After a moment they broke apart and Laz stood up, pulling up Albus with her. "We better get back to our room," she told him. "We have to get some rest."

* * *

"And now it's time for our next fight in the doubles round of the Vytal Festival Tournament!" Professor Port bellowed.

"This match will be between Albus and Lazuli of Beacon," chimed in Dr. Oobleck, "and Sun and Neptune of Haven." The symbols around the arena spun until they stopped on the landscape they were randomly assigned to: forest, swamp, desert, and ice. The four teenagers readied themselves as Oobleck shouted, "Three, two, one, begin!"

Neptune took the first move and fired his rifle at the two Beacon students. As Laz deflected most of the bullets away, Albus yelled, "Fall back!" They both ran into the forest behind them, with Sun and Neptune following.

As the two of them were running, Albus turned to Laz, "Stay on the defensive for now, I'll be in the trees," he said as he leaped onto the branches above. Laz stopped, gripped her sword with both hands, and readied herself for their two opponents. A moment later, they caught up with her and charged.

Sun swung his staff from her right and Laz deflected it. Neptune aimed for her exposed left side with his trident, but an arrow flew in, knocking his weapon away. They heard some rustling in the trees as Albus repositioned himself. Sun quickly jumped into the treetops, trying to find him.

The monkey faunus jumped from tree to tree, searching for the white haired archer. Albus stood up with an arrow strung across Brightshot. "Sun, right?" he asked. "Let's see if you can keep up." Albus fired his arrow and while Sun dodged it, he leapt forward. He seemed to fall into the leaves in front of Sun, but a second later flew up behind him swinging on his bow.

Sun parried the incoming kick and jumped away, clapping his hands together. Two golden copies of himself appeared beside him and jumped at Albus. They attacked Albus one after the other, not giving him a second to counterattack. Albus got fed up with the constant attacks. He jumped back a little and swung his bow with one hand through the dopplegangers. Seeing this, Sun leapt forward and kicked Albus back into the center of the arena.

When Albus landed, he saw Laz and Neptune fighting on the divide between the forest and ice biomes. He quickly fired some arrows at the Mistral boy, letting Laz get a few hits in. Neptune fell back into the trees towards where Sun last was. Albus motioned for Laz to come to him, so she jumped to the center of the arena using her semblance.

"How are you holding up?" Albus asked Laz as she landed in front of him.

"Neptune's good," she replied a little out of breath. "Have any ideas?"

Albus reached behind him and pulled out their last purple arrow. "Well, we do have this. Let's find out how you and gravity dust mix," he said with a smirk.

She sighed, but still nodded. Sun and Neptune came out of the trees at that point, looking ready to continue the fight. Albus turned to Laz and said one word, "Snowball." She then proceeded to grab Albus, spun around to gain some momentum, and threw him at the approaching boys.

Sun and Neptune readied themselves as Albus flew at them, but before he made contact he shifted into Limbo and went right through them. They were briefly confused, giving Laz an opportunity to strike as she ran behind Albus. Neptune saw her coming and was able to dodge the swing, but Sun had turned around to watch Albus so he was hit by her sword. While Sun was sent sliding away into the ice fields, Neptune swung his trident at Laz, who was just able to block the blow.

Albus quickly recovered from being thrown and readied the grav arrow. He aimed it carefully at Laz and let it fly. It exploded on her sword, causing Laz and Neptune to start floating. Laz had a look of complete concentration as she was floating there. Suddenly, she started going up, then down again. She spun around and set her sights on Neptune, helplessly floating there. She grabbed him and looked to Albus, who yelled, "Throw him out!"

Laz promptly started flying over the ice fields towards the edge of the arena, unknowingly getting lower and lower as she did. About three-quarters across the field, their short-lived flight ended and they fell onto the ice, sliding towards the edge of the arena. Albus and Sun could only stand and watch as their teammates went out of bounds.

Sun was the first to come out of the trance that he and Albus were in and began walking toward the archer. Albus saw him coming and glanced at their aura levels before resuming the fight. He as at 52% while Sun was at 56%.

Albus ran into the ice fields, clashing with Sun. They stood there for a second, bow against staff in an X before backing up. The two boys slowly circled each other when Sun leapt forward. Albus shifted into Limbo and let Sun go through him. Albus swung his bow blade at the faunus, but was blocked by his staff.

"You think I wouldn't catch on to your tricks?" Sun asked a slightly stunned Albus. Sun started spinning his staff as is split in half, then in half again, revealing his staff to also be a pair of nunchuck-pistols. He swung them around, firing at Albus. He took a few hits before he was able to regain his footing and charged into Sun. He used his bow to stop the nunchucks while he kicked Sun back.

Sun recovered quickly, put together his staff, and ran back into the fight. They traded blow after blow, with Albus using Limbo to get more hits in than Sun. Both of their auras were slowly falling with each second when Sun kicked Albus back and summoned two of his golden dopplegangers. They jumped up and rammed into Albus, sending him sliding across the ice. Just as he came to a stop, Sun landed in front of him and slammed his staff down on the boy.

A loud buzzer rang out in the coliseum. "And Albus has been knocked out by aura level! Sun and Neptune of Haven are the winners!" Professor Port exclaimed.

Albus groaned and looked up to see Sun offering a hand. He took it and Sun helped him to his feet. "That was a great fight!" Sun began. "Hope you're not too hurt."

"Thanks, and I'm fine," Albus said as he got up. "See you around Sun," he waved as they walked out of the arena.


End file.
